Synodality (from synod which is Greek σύν "together", and ὁδός "way, journey") in the Catholic Church is a term "often used to describe the process of fraternal collaboration and discernment" in the whole church. The Synod of Bishops is held to embody this characteristic of the church.1
Meaning
Synodality denotes the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the Catholic Church. Theologian Jessica Murdoch, associate professor of fundamental and dogmatic theology at Villanova University, has observed that "synodality is a rich concept with a long history in the Church".1 The Holy See's International Theological Commission states that synodality, when it concerns the Catholic Church, designates "the specific modus vivendi et operandi of the Church, the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly and take an active part in her evangelising mission". Synodality also "refers to the involvement and participation of the whole People of God in the life and mission of the Church".2 The church's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity notes that the term synodality "[b]roadly [...] refers to the active participation of all the faithful in the life and mission of the Church".3
The final document of the Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (also called the Synod on synodality) defines synodality as "a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the Church to be more participatory and missionary, so that it can walk with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ".4
Contemporary usage
Synodality is seen as one of the key words that characterized the pontificate of Pope Francis.56
A document by the International Theological Commission discussing synodality was published in March 2018.7
Synodality became the theme of the Synod on synodality.
See also
See also
References
References
- "What is 'synodality'? Experts explain". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- International Theological Commission, Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church (2 March 2018), no. 6.
- "Chieti Document | Synodality and Primacy During the First Millennium. Towards a Common Understanding in Service to the Unity of the Church". www.christianunity.va. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- Liedl, Jonathan (27 October 2024). "10 questions (and answers) about the Synod on Synodality's final document". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- Baranowski, Martin (2021-09-20). "Synodalität als Stärkung der Kirche". Die Tagespost (in German). Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- "Pope to Rome's faithful: Synodality expresses the nature of the Church - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- "Synodality in the life and mission of the Church (2 March 2018)". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
Further reading
Further reading
- Corecco, Eugenio (1999). "Ontology of Synodality". Canon Law and Communio: 341.
- Faggioli, Massimo (2020-04-27). "From Collegiality to Synodality: Promise and Limits of Francis's 'Listening Primacy'". Irish Theological Quarterly. 85 (4): 352–369. doi:10.1177/0021140020916034. ISSN 0021-1400. S2CID 219064703.
- McQueen, Moira (2022). Walking Together: A Primer on the New Synodality. Twenty-Third Publications. ISBN 978-1-62785-692-8.
- Renken, John A. (2018). "Synodality: A Constitutive Element of the Church". Studia Canonica. 52 (1): 5–44. doi:10.2143/STC.52.1.3285212. ISSN 2295-3027.
- Roper, Elissa (October 2018). "Synodality: A process committed to transformation". The Australasian Catholic Record. 95 (4): 412–423.
- Welch, Lawrence J. (Summer 2015). "Collegiality, Synodality, and the Synod of Bishops". Nova et Vetera. 13 (3): 787–813.